Web-based sensor streaming wearable for respiratory monitoring applications.

This paper presents a system for remote monitoring of respiration of individuals that can detect respiration rate, mode of breathing and identify coughing events. It comprises a series of polymer fabric-sensors incorporated into a sports vest, a wearable data acquisition platform and a novel rich internet application (RIA) which together enable remote real-time monitoring of untethered wearable systems for respiratory rehabilitation. This system will, for the first time, allow therapists to monitor and guide the respiratory efforts of patients in real-time through a web browser. Changes in abdomen expansion and contraction associated with respiration are detected by the fabric sensors and transmitted wirelessly via a Bluetooth-based solution to a standard computer. The respiratory signals are visualized locally through the RIA and subsequently published to a sensor streaming cloud-based server. A web-based signal streaming protocol makes the signals available as real-time streams to authorized subscribers over standard browsers. We demonstrate real-time streaming of a six-sensor shirt rendered remotely at 40 samples/s per sensor with perceptually acceptable latency (<0.5s) over realistic network conditions

Humoral immune responses to Pneumocystis jirovecii antigens in HIV-infected and uninfected young children with pneumocystis pneumonia

BACKGROUND: Humoral immune responses in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and uninfected children with Pneumocystis pneumonia (PcP) are poorly understood. METHODS: Consecutive children hospitalized with acute pneumonia, tachypnea, and hypoxia in South Africa were investigated for PcP, which was diagnosed by real-time polymerase chain reaction on lower respiratory tract specimens. Serum antibody responses to recombinant fragments of the carboxyl terminus of Pneumocystis jirovecii major surface glycoprotein (MsgC) were analyzed. RESULTS: 149 children were enrolled of whom 96 (64%) were HIV-infected. PcP occurred in 69 (72%) of HIV-infected and 14 (26%) of HIV-uninfected children. HIV-infected children with PcP had significantly decreased IgG antibodies to MsgC compared to HIV-infected patients without PcP, but had similar IgM antibodies. In contrast, HIV-uninfected children with PcP showed no change in IgG antibodies to MsgC, but had significantly increased IgM antibodies compared to HIV-uninfected children without PCP. Age was an independent predictor of high IgG antibodies, whereas PcP was a predictor of low IgG antibodies and high IgM antibodies. IgG and IgM antibody levels to the most closely related MsgC fragments were predictors of survival from PcP. CONCLUSIONS: Young HIV-infected children with PcP have significantly impaired humoral immune responses to MsgC, whereas HIV-uninfected children with PcP can develop active humoral immune responses. The children also exhibit a complex relationship between specific host factors and antibody levels to MsgC fragments that may be related to survival from PcP

CCU 2003 National Survey of the Presentation and Management of Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) and other Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS) in Irish Hospitals

Background Ireland has one of the highest rates of mortality from cardiovascular disease in Europe. Time to medical treatment is crucial in the management of Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS). The aim of the present study was to provide an overview of the current patterns of presentation and management of ACS in Ireland. Treatment of both acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and other ACS patients was assessed. Findings were compared to a previous national survey conducted in 1994. The prevalence of depression post-ACS event was also assessed

Isolation of Lactobacilli with probiotic properties from the human stomach

Aims: Recent evidence suggests that the human gastric microbiota is much more diverse than previously thought. The aim of this study was to assess the potential for isolating lactobacilli from the human stomach.Methods and Results: Lactobacilli were selectively cultured from gastric biopsies from 12 patients undergoing routine endoscopy. Lactobacilli were present in four of 12 biopsies. We isolated, in total 10 different strains representing five species (Lactobacillus gasseri, L. fermentum, L. vaginalis, L. reuteri and L. salivarius). The 10 isolates varied greatly in their ability to inhibit the growth of two Gram-positive bacteria and two Gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, the acid and bile resistance profiles of the 10 isolates spanned a wide range. Conclusions: Five different Lactobacillus species were cultured from human gastric biopsies for the first time. Significance and Impact of the Study: Diverse Lactobacillus species are more prevalent in the human stomach than previously recognized, representing an untapped source of bacteria with beneficial probiotic and/or biotechnological properties

Sero-Epidemiology of Pneumocystis Infection among Infants, Children, and Adults in Chile

Previous serologic surveys show &gt;80% of infants in Chile have anti-Pneumocystis antibodies by 2 years of age, but the seroepidemiology of Pneumocystis infection beyond infancy is unknown. We describe the sero-epidemiology in infants, children, and adults at different locations in Chile. Serum samples were prospectively obtained from 681 healthy adults (age ≥ 17 years) and 690 non-immunocompromised infants/children attending eight blood banks or outpatient clinics (2 in Santiago) in Chile. ELISA was used to measure serum IgM and IgG antibodies to Pneumocystis jirovecii major surface antigen (Msg) constructs MsgA and MsgC1. Serologic responses to Pneumocystis Msg showed a high frequency of reactivity, inferring infection. Among infants/children increasing age and the proportion with detectable IgM responses to MsgA, and IgG responses to MsgA, and MsgC1 were positively associated. Among adults there was almost universal seropositivity to one or more Pneumocystis Msg constructs. In infants and children rates of detectable IgM responses to MsgC1 and MsgA were greater than IgG responses. In Santiago, rates of seropositivity among infants/children were greater in clinics located in a more socio-economically deprived part of the city. In Chile, a serological response to Pneumocystis Msg constructs was common across ages regardless of geographical location and climatic conditions. Observed higher rates of IgM responses than IgG responses is consistent with concept of recent/ongoing exposure to Pneumocystis in children and adults. Higher rates of seropositivity in infants/children residing in more densely populated areas of Santiago infers crowding poses an increased risk of transmission

Development of a Selective Inhibitor for Kv1.1 Channels Prevalent in Demyelinated Nerves

Members of the voltage-gated K+ channel subfamily (Kv1), involved in regulating transmission between neurons or to muscles, are associated with human diseases and, thus, putative targets for neurotherapeutics. This applies especially to those containing Kv1.1 α subunits which become prevalent in murine demyelinated axons and appear abnormally at inter-nodes, underlying the perturbed propagation of nerve signals. To overcome this dysfunction, akin to the consequential debilitation in multiple sclerosis (MS), small inhibitors were sought that are selective for the culpable hyper-polarising K+ currents. Herein, we report a new semi-podand – compound 3 – that was designed based on the modelling of its interactions with the extracellular pore region in a deduced Kv1.1 channel structure. After synthesis, purification, and structural characterisation, compound 3 was found to potently (IC50 = 8 µM) and selectively block Kv1.1 and 1.6 channels. The tested compound showed no apparent effect on native Nav and Cav channels expressed in F-11 cells. Compound 3 also extensively and selectively inhibited MS-related Kv1.1 homomer but not the brain native Kv1.1- or 1.6-containing channels. These collective findings highlight the therapeutic potential of compound 3 to block currents mediated by Kv1.1 channels enriched in demyelinated central neurons

Antibody Response to Pneumocystis jirovecii: Antibody Response to Pneumocystis jirovecii Major Surface Glycoprotein

We conducted a prospective pilot study of the serologic responses to overlapping recombinant fragments of the Pneumocystis jirovecii major surface glycoprotein (Msg) in HIV-infected patients with pneumonia due to P. jirovecii and other causes. Similar baseline geometric mean antibody levels to the fragments measured by an ELISA were found in both groups. Serum antibodies to MsgC in P. jirovecii patients rose to a peak level 3–4 weeks (p<0.001) after recovery from pneumocystosis; baseline CD4+ count >50 cells/μL and first episode of pneumocystosis were the principal host factors associated with this rise (both p<0.001). Thus, MsgC shows promise as a serologic reagent and should be tested further in clinical and epidemiologic studies

A Rational Design of a Selective Inhibitor for Kv1.1 Channels Prevalent in Demyelinated Nerves That Improves Their Impaired Axonal Conduction

K+ channels containing Kv1.1 α subunits, which become prevalent at internodes in demyelinated axons, may underlie their dysfunctional conduction akin to muscle weakness in multiple sclerosis. Small inhibitors were sought with selectivity for the culpable hyper-polarizing K+ currents. Modeling of interactions with the extracellular pore in a Kv1.1-deduced structure identified diaryldi(2-pyrrolyl)methane as a suitable scaffold with optimized alkyl ammonium side chains. The resultant synthesized candidate [2,2′-((5,5′(di-p-topyldiaryldi(2-pyrrolyl)methane)bis(2,2′carbonyl)bis(azanediyl)) diethaneamine·2HCl] (8) selectively blocked Kv1.1 channels (IC50 ≈ 15 μM) recombinantly expressed in mammalian cells, induced a positive shift in the voltage dependency of K+ current activation, and slowed its kinetics. It preferentially inhibited channels containing two or more Kv1.1 subunits regardless of their positioning in concatenated tetramers. In slices of corpus callosum from mice subjected to a demyelination protocol, this novel inhibitor improved neuronal conduction, highlighting its potential for alleviating symptoms in multiple sclerosis